As yet untitled
by Charlie PJ
Summary: Another Origional im afraid, its easier to write without boundaries, leave reviews plaese, spysecret agent action this time people!
1. Chapter 1

He blinked his way into the sudden brightness of the police station, slamming the door behind him. He shook the rain off of his overcoat and rested it back upon his bulky frame. He looked over his shoulder at the storm outside and grunted.

"Need to buy a damn car."

He approached the reception desk calmly. Before the receptionist could ask what he needed he had reached into his pocket and produced his identification. She paused shocked for a second; finally she opened the security door for him and motioned him to go through into the interview areas. He nodded his thanks to her as he passed and pushed through the door almost silently. It swung back and settled back with a click.

She was quickly onto the phone to make the commanding officer aware of the man who had just entered. It was the first time she had seen one of these people before, although she had been aware of their existence for the last two years. The chief constable slammed the phone down, he hated the idea of this man's agency, thinking that it undermined the work that his officers were doing.

The man took a few seconds to look around the area he found himself in. He reached into the breast pocket of his coat feeling for his cigarette packet, He looked at the slightly soggy packet and rolled his eyes.

"Bloody rain."

He lit a cigarette and replaced the packet. Taking a long draw he exhaled and carried on down the corridor. He passed another desk as he walked. He had developed a habit of ignoring the people that passed him in these halls. He had found that if he acknowledged people then they wanted to ask him questions, now he just didn't give them a chance.

"Interview room three?" he asked the sergeant on duty nonchalantly pointing at one of the doors in front of him.

"Yeah, that's right…" He began to reply, the man carried on walking, the sergeant continued after him. "I'll need to see some identification, and you can't smoke that in here." He reached up to snatch the cigarette out of the man's mouth, only to find his wrist in a vice-like grip.

"I have already shown my identification, and you wouldn't be so impolite as to remove this cigarette from my mouth without permission would you?" The sergeant shook his head, mumbling and apology. "That's what I thought." He let go of the officer's arm and again adjusted his coat.

"Dennis Walker?" He asked, as though nothing had occurred between them, again pointing at the door.

"Yeah" the sergeant nodded "though I don't see what you guy's want with him."

"It's not your job to know." He replied without looking back.

He knocked on the door and entered immediately, there were three men in the room. Two detectives and the suspect. The detectives were about to protest as he produced his badge for a second time.

"Out."

They left the room without asking why, there was nothing they could do. The last of the two barely had time to step out before the door was slammed shut and locked behind him.

Stan looked at the man sitting opposite him. 'Black suit, red tie, Yellow shirt, what a prick'. His hair was slicked back over his head. There was a shadow of stubble beginning to appear on the man's face; obviously he hadn't shaved since this morning. He wasn't a bad looking man, Stan supposed to himself, not that he went for things like that. 'Not that there's anything wrong with that' said a voice in his head, Stan smiled as he thought of his friend. Yeah he owed him a drink after this.

"My name is Stan Whitehall." He began as he removed his coat and placed it on the back of one of the chairs, revealing a grey suit over the top of a white shirt and black tie. He sat on the edge of the table and rested his feet on one of the chairs; he flicked off a piece of mud and stood up again at the opposite end of the table.

"There is no need for me to introduce myself of course because after this you won't see me again and the information will be worthless to you." He sat down on the chair and rested his arm comfortably on the back of it. "Your name is Dennis Walker; you are a small time drug dealer who fancies himself as big-time. Last year you made yourself about three million pounds. That is of course not including the money in the assets that have not yet been sold and the acquisition of various new properties."

Walker smiled. "Of course none of this you can prove, so you're wasting my time and your own." He leaned forward resting his elbows on the table. "Shouldn't you be out catching criminals instead of harassing innocent businessmen like me?"

Stan laughed. He took another draw on his cigarette and then brought a small metal box out of his pocket; he opened it and stubbed the cigarette out. He shut the lid and replaced it into his pocket.

"Sorry about that, but since they don't allow smoking in these places I have to carry my own ash tray."

"Oh I get it, you're supposed to be the 'bad boy cop' whose going to try and get some information out of me by threatening me with some sort of physical violence. How see-through. Surely you people can do better than that."

"Kind of un-original isn't it?" Stan replied leaning forward towards the other man. "Of course someone like you is clever enough to see the camera that is in the top corner of the room and you know I wouldn't dare do anything that could be used against me as proof, should you be willing to place a complaint of course." He leaned back as he finished, allowing the interviewee to take the compliment.

"And here, I thought you were all as dumb as the last two that were in here."

"No those two are special cases." Stan pointed his thumb at the door and laughed again. "Now tell me," he began again lighting a second cigarette "What do you think would happen if that little red light on the camera were to stop flashing?"

"The interview would be over." Walker finished cockily, leaning back again in his chair. "Since this nice little chat about cameras seems to have exhausted itself can I go now? I'm a non smoker and that cigarette smoke is playing havoc with my lungs, you can expect to hear from my solicitor."

"Yeah, maybe I will. But first, could you keep an eye on that camera for me?"

The drug dealer rolled his eyes then made an obvious show of directing his gaze towards the camera. Stan again produced his badge; he held it up in clear view of the camera without taking his eyes off the man in front of him.

The light on the camera stopped flashing. Stan saw a momentary look of confusion on the man's face.

"Well I guess the interview's over then." Walker stood up and began to walk round the table. Stan sat as calmly as he always had; only this time the gun in his hand gave his voice a more serious edge.

"Sit down." Once again the tone in the command seemed to dare anyone to disobey him.

Walker sat down again; his confidence didn't seem to be knocked at all by the gun.

"What's that for?" he said in a mocking tone. "We both know you aren't going to use it."

Stan smiled again and pointed the barrel of the gun up at the roof. "You're right, I wasn't going to use it, it isn't even loaded, look."

As Walker moved his head slightly to look at the gun Stan hit him hard on the side of his face knocking him to the floor. Before Walker had time to react Stan had flipped the table over and was crouching over him smiling. It was no longer a kind smile. It drained all of the confidence from Walker's face.

"Now I'm a patient man, however, I have an appointment to go to after this." He paused to take the cigarette out of his mouth. "So we're going to keep this quick, you are going to tell me where you get your drugs from, you are going to give me shipping dates, times, names. Basically you are going to give me all of the information that you have. And after that… I'm going to let you go."

Walker managed to give a surprised look through his newly found fear. The man was stronger than he had expected, he couldn't move.

"I can't tell you all of that man. They'll kill me, you know that."

"Yeah I guess you're right." Stan softened his voice, but didn't move any of his weight off the man; he took another draw of his cigarette, and then seemed to study it slightly before exhaling. "I won't kill you; it's too much paper work. However…" He leaned forward so his face was close enough for Walker to smell his breath. He held his cigarette over Walker's face. "I may blind you slightly. Now, how 'bout you start talking and we put all of this ugly business behind us?"

Five minutes later Stan left the room with all of the information that he needed and headed straight out of the police station without acknowledging anyone he came close to.

The detectives who had waited outside the room hurried back inside to see what had happened. Walker lay unconscious on the floor. The rest of the room seemed to be just as they had left it. The chief constable walked in shortly after as they were checking to see if Walker was still alive.

"Get him to his cell." His voice was calm even though the anger on his face was obvious.

"But sir?" one of the detectives began

"Don't ask questions, just do it." With that he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun burned down out of a clear blue sky. The game of football on the courts by the beach had lost its tempo. It had turned into a competition between the two left on the court to see who could manage the best tricks to get past the other. The other players sat on the outside cheering and jeering the players.

"Come on Pete, we all know you can't beat Tommy, he's been doing this for the last three months."

Pete's T-shirt was soaked in sweat. His hair was lying flat against his head. His refusal to give up that at first had seemed endearing had begun to annoy the others that watched. Tommy Stood resting his foot on the ball as his opponent slowly moved towards him, trying to close down the space that he had to work in. Tommy smiled, enjoying his victory, he mimed dusting off his shoes taunting Pete and earning a cheer from the crowd around him. His black sweat pants rested easily on his hips. He was shirtless showing off his hard earned sun tan. The heat barely seemed to bother him as he brushed his hair away from his face with his hand. His brown hair had been bleached by the sun from spending the summer on the beach.

Flicking the ball up over his head, he ran past Pete again, controlling the ball back onto the ground.

"Just give up dude." He laughed juggling the ball between his feet. The music from his ringing phone diverted his attention. "Alright, we'll call it a draw." He smiled and flicked the ball to Pete who smiled and sat down hard on the ground. A bottle of water came at him from the side. He drank it greedily.

Tommy vaulted the fence to where his bag was, one of his friends tossed the phone to him.

"Hello"

"Tom?"

"Yeah, how you doing Stan?"

"Not to bad, we got the result we wanted."

"Nice, now all we have to do is sit and watch it happen."

"Oh yes, so I'll take it you're up for tonight?"

"Always."

"Alright be here about eight. And bring food with you. I'm tired of you scrounging off me."

"Yeah no problem, I'll stop for Chinese on the way."

"Ok, and by the way, you owe me for sending me out in the rain last night."

"Ok, I'll bring the beer."

"See you later."

Tommy hung up.

"Hey, Tommy, you coming for chips?"

"Nah I ve got a date this afternoon."

"Lucky you."

"Anyway I think you should get Pete to a doctor."

The others laughed and waved goodbye to Tommy as he picked up his bag and his shirt.

He walked along the sea front, just out of reach of the water, thinking about the last case. He always did this, making sure there was nothing they missed or a mistake they might have made. Eventually having exhausted every possible scenario he sat down on the top of the cliff edge looking out to the sea.

He slid his shirt on and rummaged in his bag to find his bracelet.

"You shouldn't sit on the edge you know, it's dangerous, and you might get hurt."

He looked over his shoulder though he already knew who the voice belonged to.

"You're late." He said simply, squinting against the sun.

"Nope, you're early." Stephanie, said finally.

"Sorry, I forgot you're a girl, you're impossible to argue with."

"Thanks, I think. Now come away from the edge before I have to shout at you." Tommy got up slowly. "It's only our second date and you're ordering me around already?"

"I have to start as I mean to go on."

Tommy laughed. She held out a hand for him to take, he did and he lead her off the cliff and back onto the beach.

They stopped to buy ice cream from a small building just off the sand.

"I have a question." Stephanie started licking her ice cream. Tommy grunted, with his mouth full, inviting her to ask "How come you arranged to meet me in the middle of the day both times?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well it is customary for a gentleman to take a lady out in the evening for a romantic candle light dinner, and afterwards he walks her home as they enjoy the night and the conversation. And then at the door he politely asks permission to kiss her hand as she leaves him and enters the house of her very strict father, who disapproves of such forward action towards his daughter."

"Is it?" Tommy answered simply

Stephanie hit him playfully in the stomach. "Anyway, where are my candles?"

"If I took you out for a nice meal, you would think I'm like every other rich rah that asks you out every time your dad takes the family to the 'golf club' and then there is no room for originality in you're plan. This way you get to know what I'm like rather than sitting in a restaurant where I feel forced to be polite to everyone and can't be myself."

Stephanie let out a 'hmph' and flicked her hair at him as she walked away. Tommy laughed and followed her down the path. He nudged her arm as he caught up and pulled a face as she looked around. Stephanie laughed.

"I could never think you were like the guys at daddy's golf club." She stopped and faced him, looking into his eyes.

"No?" he asked tilting his head slightly and moving in to kiss her.

"No, they all smell nice." She laughed as she turned away again.

"That's a bit nasty."

Stephanie giggled. "Will you at least walk me home?"

"Can I kiss your hand before you go into the fortress of the evil King Daddy?"

Stephanie pulled a face at him for making fun at him. "Maybe." She held out a hand to him again.


	3. Chapter 3

The sky was dark. Stan looked out on the rain; the moon was high in the sky. Although his part of the mission was a success he didn't feel as happy as he should. Now came the wait for the next assignment. Although this meant he had free time to himself he resented the fact that he wasn't needed, and that his life was dependant on someone else's timetable. He looked down on the street and saw a young couple walking huddled together under the same umbrella. He exhaled sharply to clear the sentimentality from his head.

He was distracted from his own thoughts by a key turning the lock in his door. Tommy pushed the door open with his knee as he carried the twenty-four pack of lager into the room. He nodded to Stan and continued into the kitchen. He opened the box and started to place the bottles in Stan's small fridge.

"You could at least look happy to see me Stanley." Tommy laughed as he finished his task and opened the two remaining bottles, carrying them into the living room and sitting down lazily on the sofa, with one leg resting over the arm. He reached up and passed the second bottle to his friend.

Stan's flat was small. There were two bedrooms, one, bigger than the other contained a double bed and a wardrobe and lead onto an en-suite bathroom, the other just a single bed and a pile of clothes. It was only used when Tommy came round, which wasn't very often. The kitchen was small and simple, all of the cabinets were a dingy cream colour, and the floor was black and white chequered linoleum. The contrast between the kitchen and the living room was made more apparent by the fluorescent light that lit the kitchen and reflected off the whitish surfaces. It caught Tommy by surprise every time. The living room was a darker colour, the brown-red carpet and the maroon sofa looked hideous but suited the needs of the occupier. There was a sofa and a chair for furnishings, a wooden coffee table and the television and television cabinet made up the rest of the collection of main objects in the room. The street lamp near his window allowed light into Stan's front room, not a lot but a comfortable amount for the time of night, almost like a table light would do, that coupled with the soft glow of the television screen made for a pleasant atmosphere.

Tommy looked around at the rubbish than littered the floor.

"You're a bit filthy Stanley." He said matter-of-factly with his eyes returned to the television screen.

Stan stopped the bottle at his lips, returning it to his hip.

"It's your mess you cheeky sod!"

"Well you've been in all day, you could have cleaned up."

"Your twenty, you should know how to clean up after yourself."

"I'm nineteen, and I'm a guest I shouldn't have to do anything."

"When was the last time you were invited?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tommy said shortly, taking his eyes off the screen and turning to face Stan.

"You have a key, you walk in and out whenever you want, not exactly a guest."

Tommy got out of his seat and walked towards Stan.

"Well if I'm not welcome, I'll just take my things and go." He snatched the half drunk bottle out of Stan's hand and headed for the kitchen.

"Sit down you over dramatic git, and give me back my beer."

Tommy flopped over the arm of the sofa, lying on his back. He craned his neck up to look at Stan.

"Say please." He laughed

He shrank quickly out of the way as a shoe came at him

"Ok fine no need to be like that. Jeez, what's getting at you?"

"You, how annoying do you want to be?"

"You're pretty when you're mad." He ducked again as the other shoe was lobbed at him.

"Careful, I nearly spilled my lager. Anyway shut up now, we're on."

He sat up and grabbed the remote control and turned up the volume on the TV.

"_And now for tonight's breaking news story." _The female news caster began. 'She's pretty' Tommy muttered under his breath. "_An SAS team has demolished a huge international drug smuggling ring that spanned a total of twenty countries. It is thought that the crime syndicate is responsible for supplying a full eighty-five percent of the drugs in this country. The team raided several large warehouses in five major European countries early this morning. The raid was a result of months of intelligence gathering by MI5 and similar organisations across Europe. We are as yet unable to confirm which countries were involved for legal reasons. The value of the drugs seized is said to be beyond estimate and larger even than the security agencies had anticipated. _

_We will be covering this story throughout the night, and bringing you updates whenever new information is revealed. And now we go to Phillip Sanders who is a the Prime Minister's press conference where it is hoped more information will be given as to the ramifications of today's raid and what that means for the future in his' war on drugs'_

Stan switched the television off and sighed.

"Well that's the fun over for a little while now I suppose." He said as if bored of his time away from work already.

"You need to learn to relax. Here" Tommy threw another beer towards him and sat back down on the sofa. "I know what you're like anyway, you wont let yourself be bored, you'll be back in the office tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm thinking of taking a holiday actually." Stan said thoughtfully.

"It's about time, how long has it been since you were last away?"

"Not since Mary died." He took a long drink as he reflected on the passing of his daughter. Tommy fell silent; he never knew what to say to him when he talked about Mary.

It was before Tommy had really met Stan. Mary was only eight. She was a beautiful young girl. She was always laughing and jumping around. Stan adored her. Most of the time she lived with her Mother. That was the way it had to be. Because of their line of work, they couldn't have a real family life. It was a lesson drummed into them from the start of their training. Stan was breaking the code of conduct by seeing his little girl. Family ties effected judgement, or so they were told. It hadn't bothered Stan. He kept his daughter a secret from those in the office. He would go off in the time between his missions and see her, take her to places she hadn't been before. He loved travelling with her. Italy, Greece. He tended to take her to all of the popular sites. But what excited her most was when he took her to 'special places' that he said no one else knew about. Away from the cities, away from the crowds and the noise. He would show her the sunset off the coast, and watch her eyes light up as she saw how beautiful the sea was as the sun went down over the horizon. He remembered her face, lightly tanned from the week they had already spent in Greece. Her hair was fair like her mothers and hung to her small shoulders. She was wearing a flowery summer dress that she had seen in on of the shops in the town, and she was holding a bunch of wild flowers that she had picked as she held his hand and walked along the rocky path to the shore.

They sat on the cliff top looking out to the sea; she sat in his lap, pointing out the birds and what she could see in the water.

He smiled as he thought about how she had squeaked and clapped her hands as the sun went down and instead of the usual red and orange colours she could see a rainbow on the water, spreading further and further away from the sun towards her. She hugged him then.

"Thank you Daddy." She had said. She held her arms around his neck as the rainbow reached its peak and as the sun disappeared into the water the rainbow vanished.

"It's gone now honey." He heard himself say in his head.

"Don't worry Daddy." She replied. "Now we have the stars to look at." He felt the tears start to well up in his eyes.

Tommy watched him, silently, knowing that there was nothing he could do to make him feel better. This was the reason that Stan hated not working. He hated being able to reflect like this. He hated being vulnerable.

"You better go Tommy." Stan said, shattering the silence.

"You're sure you're ok?" Tommy asked walking to the kitchen to throw out the empty beer can.

"It goes in the recycling box." Stan shouted. Tommy laughed.

"I guess I'll see you when you next come in to work then." He smiled and Patted Stan on the shoulder as he left. "See you later."

As the door closed Stan sighed again. Holding his head in his hands for a second he tried to suppress his memories again. It never got easier for him but he had learned how to do it over the years.

He placed his beer on the table and walked into the bedroom. Flipping open his laptop and connecting to the internet he started searching for holiday destinations.


	4. Chapter 4

Tommy walked down the street. It was later there was no one else around. The street lights glowed down on the lonely figure as he started back towards the city centre. Tommy enjoyed this part of the town especially at night. He enjoyed the silence that seemed to surround him. It felt safer somehow. He always wondered why it had that effect on him. He never felt particularly unsafe anywhere, perhaps it was more a feeling of peace that rippled through him, he tutted the thought away, feeling that it wasn't really necessary to him.

He could hear the noises of the city getting closer. He could hear the taxi's that were already driving people to and from the clubs. He could hear the laughter and shouting that went with the groups of people that were around.

He began to be able to see the young couples that were on their way back from their meals and their cinema visits. He smiled at the simplicity that there seemed to be in the way things were here. No matter when it was you always saw the same things here at this time of night.

As he crossed through the city, passing all of the nightclubs and the bars, passing all of the queues and the drunks outside, he wondered if this sort of thing would really entertain him. Yeah he had a few beers at Stan's or when he was out with his friends. But the idea of being drunk or not fully in control was not something that appealed to him.

He decided to walk away from the main nightspots and headed up a small street away from the noise. He reached down into his pocket, bringing out a small handful of change. He quickly counted it and replaced it in his pocket. He stopped on the corner of a street while he wondered what to do next.

A group of women approached him on their way out for the night. They had obviously been drinking before they had come out. They all seemed to be wearing the same kind of outfits even though he guessed their ages were quite different. The oldest one there must have been late forties – early fifties. The youngest was about the same age as him. They were all wearing skirts, either black or white, all slightly too short for his taste. And small tops, again black or white in contrast to the skirts a little too tight. He smiled as he saw them come closer. He like this kind of group, they weren't particularly attractive to him but they enjoyed having fun and he could always laugh and flirt along with them.

"Are you lost honey?" One of them asked, she looked to be in her later twenties. Her skin was tanned and her hair was blonde. He questioned both the tan and the hair colour to be real, her smile was ice enough, her legs stood out as her best feature though.

"Good evening ladies, and where are you headed this evening?" He smiled.

"Ooo well aren't we a gentleman?" The youngest one replied from the far side of the group."

"Well I do try." Tommy replied.

"We're going for a few drinks, a few laughs and hopefully a few good fellas."

'She looks as though she's had too much of all of them' he thought to himself. He still couldn't resist flirting some more, it was a game to him, and you could guarantee people on their way to a night out were game for a laugh.

"Why travel all the way into town in search of a man when there's one standing here? Seems a waste of a journey really, you could put that energy into other things." He winked at one of the women who until now had been silent.

"You're a bit full of yourself aren't you? You really think you're that special?" The younger one challenged him.

'Jesus love you fancy yourself a lot don't you?' he thought

"There's only one way to find out?" He held out his hand to her daring her to take it with his eyes. 'You talk a good game honey; now let's see if you can back your words up.'

She whispered something to one of the other women and walked over to him, taking his hand.

"Come on then Star, here's your chance." He smiled; there was something in her eyes that betrayed her bravado. She wasn't as confident as she made herself appear. He watched every movement she made, switching her bag onto her other shoulder on the opposite side of her to where he was standing. She held his hand again as they walked further along the quiet street. He introduced himself to her. Her name was Susie. He found that he was right about her, although it wasn't actually said. She kept up the act she had been using all night with her friends as best she could. He noticed little changes in her tone and small actions that to anyone else would have gone unnoticed.

He stopped and looked at her. She seemed unsure of what to do. He pulled her hand slowly drawing her closer to him. She resisted slightly but allowed herself to be drawn. His eyes focused deep into hers. There was something strange about him that she couldn't quite understand. In a way he was just like all of the others that she knew, but there was something else, a little spark in him that she couldn't quite place, but she could feel it.

He brought his face close to hers and whispered in her ear. "Follow me."

She knew the game she was playing was dangerous. But so far he had surprised her. She had expected this to be a 'how far dare you go' encounter. She had expected him to be more forward with her. But so far he had stayed on the main street where he knew they could be seen and all he had done was to ask her to follow him. She resented the sudden attraction that she felt for him. She had only met him five minutes ago and yet she knew that she would be the one to make the first move. It was inevitable. It wasn't something she had ever done; no one else had brought that out in her before. She out the thoughts out of her mind and started down the street after him.

"Glad you decided to come" he joked as he walked alongside her. His hands were in his pockets now. He had walked off without her to test to see if she trusted him, and also how daring she was. It was one thing to allow yourself to be pulled along, he wanted to see if she would come by herself.

She looked at him and smiled, he was facing away from her, distracted by something in a shop window. She could see that he was challenging her, as he had done from the moment she had first spoken to him. He wanted to see if she would reach for his hand or just keep walking.

'Cocky bugger.' She thought. Though she enjoyed the obvious confidence the man had.

Halfway down the street Tommy stopped at a door. Susie looked to see what it was. The shade was pulled down on the other side of the glass panel and there didn't seem to be anyone inside.

Tommy knocked on the door. A small man in a waiters uniform opened the door.

"Can I help you?"

"I believe so we have a reservation here for eleven."

"I'm sorry you are mistaken, we are closed."

Tommy smiled at the man and moved closer to the door. "We shall be dining on the veranda this evening." As he spoke he slipped some money into the pocket of the waiter's apron.

"Aaah yes, I do apologise sir, we have your table ready." He opened the door further and allowed them inside. He shut and locked the door behind them and grabbed two menus from the rack on the side of the wall. Susie was surprised by what had just happened, but allowed herself to be lead up the stairs and into the restaurant. They reached the first floor. The light from the restaurant surrounded them. They could hear the other staff talking in Italian to one another. She felt Tommy pull her away from the light and up another flight of stairs.

"Wait" she called. She reached down and took off her shoes "These heels are bloody awful." She explained, Tommy laughed and offered her his hand once more.

They reached the top of the stairs and the waiter stood to one side to allow them to open the door. Susie felt the wind on her face as she walked onto the roof. Tommy followed close behind. His hands clasped behind his back. He gently placed his hand on her back and led her to a table, helping her to sit in the chair.

"I can't eat like this." She whispered.

"Then just drink with me." Tommy laughed

"No I mean it's too dark." She insisted.

"It's ok." Tommy whispered loudly, gently making fun of her. "I've already thought of that." He waved at the waiter. Suddenly lights exploded around them, Susie shielded her eyes against the sudden glare that surrounded her. Finally she took her hand away from her eyes and looked around.

The table had been beautifully laid out for them. There was another waiter on the roof. They were surrounded by whit fairy lights that lit up the roof.

"How?" Was all she managed to say through her shock. She couldn't understand how all of this had been arranged so quickly.

"I know the owner." He replied. "While we were talking with the waiter they moved a table up here for us."

"This is insane." She laughed.

Tommy smiled, enjoying the surprise he had provoked.

Susie looked at him properly for the first time since they had met. He was taller than she was. Quite thin, although he looked good in black, she decided. His hair was a bit too long for her, but that didn't matter right now. He was talking to the waiter allowing her time to take in her surroundings. Her eyes travelled down his back, across his shoulders and down to his belt. He turned as her eyes rested on his buttocks. He smiled at her. She blushed terribly at being caught.

"It ok, everyone looks, I'm used to it." He said sitting down opposite her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "It's not even that nice."

He gave her a look as though he didn't believe her.

"Ok, yeah it is." She tutted

"The truth shall set you free." He said quietly, picking up a menu.


	5. Chapter 5

Susie woke with the sun on her face, shining through the thin white curtains. She snuggled her head back into the pillow, she felt more relaxed than he had in a long time, lying on her side curled in a ball. She was wearing a plane white T-shirt and her underwear from last night. She reached down and closed her hand around that of Tommy which was resting on her hip. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled as his sleeping face.

Although she had only known him for a few hours she trusted him completely. All night he had surprised her. Never once acting as she had expected him to. She closed her eyes and thought back over what had happened.

After they had finished their meal he had stood up and taken her hand, there in the silence of the evening, surprising considering how close they were to the series of clubs that littered the town centre, he had pulled her close to him. He led her in a slow dance, always watching her eyes. She felt shy but also comforted that he always seemed to know what she was thinking. He began to hum a slow tune as they danced to drown out the silence. He had a cheeky grin that drew her closer to him. She closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss him. To her surprise he placed a finger on her lips, gently refusing her off. He had smiled again when he had seen how embarrassed she was at his refusal. He looked down trying to catch her averted gaze. When he couldn't he Leaned in, pushing her face back up towards his with his lips. The surprise and passion mixed together excited her. She tightened her grip on the waist of his shirt, enjoying the moment.

When they had finished, he laughed shyly, as if he was as surprised as she was at what had happened. They sat back down at the table and talked for at least another hour. She couldn't tell how long exactly. He had been quiet for a while, his expression changed. She could tell what he wanted to say was serious.

"You have a very honest face." She said interrupting his thoughts.

"Or so you think." He challenged "Maybe that's just what I want you to think."

"But then you wouldn't have said that." She laughed

"Unless I thought that saying that would make you believe I didn't mean it and so that wasn't what I was doing."

She stuck her tongue out indignantly.

He looked at her closely and then spoke again

"I want you to come with me." His tone was final, but not harsh, he kept his eyes on her all the time he spoke. "I want you to come with me to my home. I want you to have a glass of wine with me. Then I want to turn off the lights, and I want us to go to sleep."

Susie looked at him. She couldn't tell whether she was more shocked by the forwardness of the statement or by the innocence of the action that he requested.

He smiled at the confusion on her face.

"I have to admit, you proved me wrong tonight. I thought you would be very different than you are based on the way you were dressed. I made an assumption and I apologise, but I am being serious, don't worry there isn't a hidden motive behind this." He smiled and took another sip of wine. "It's up to you." He got up and talked to the waiter paying the bill and giving her time to think. He sat back down at the table comfortably.

"I can't go with you." She said, regretting what she was saying slightly "I don't know you well enough."

"Good call." He replied, finishing the mouthful of wine. He smiled and reached for her hand. "Come on, I'll walk you home." He nodded towards the door as he stood. She allowed herself to be helped out of the chair and for his jacket to be placed around her shoulders. She had misjudged him too although she wasn't going to admit it as quickly as he did. 'He was right though' she thought, 'the way I was dressed it would be easy to misinterpret who I am.' Her clothes didn't define who she was. She had made that point a lot so far this year.

They walked hand in hand along the fence of the park, enjoying the peace of the usually busy road that led to her student accommodation. He was intelligent, though she couldn't find out where he went to school or where he lived, he dodged each question expertly, it hadn't been till later that she had realised that he hadn't answered them.

They reached a spot beneath two trees, which sheltered them from the light from the street lamp. Susie felt a small tug on her hand, when she turned to see what was wrong she found her lips once again pressed against his. It was as if she was someone else watching this scene, she heard herself asking him to come up with her. She regretted it in the seconds before he answered. His answer did nothing but make her feel more nervous as he accepted.

However as she now knew, he had been a perfect gentleman and true to his word. They had had a glass of wine in her room, where they had talked more intimately than in the restaurant. After which they had gone to sleep.

She rolled over and looked at him. She stroked his face gently, determined not to wake him. He had revealed when they got back to her room that he had problems sleeping and wondered if the comfort of having someone there with him would help.

'Apparently it has.' She thought with a smile.

Her hand gently caressed his body; she followed her hand with her eyes admiring his body. He had a nice tan, and he had more muscle than she had expected from his skinny look. Her hand moved back up his side. She tickled him gently and giggled to herself as he wriggled in his sleep.

She looked up over her desk at her timetable. She was supposed to be in a lecture.

'Never mind' She thought, looking down at his face 'I can borrow someone's notes.' She found herself feeling restless. Wanting him awake, she liked talking to him, she liked his unpredictability. She leaned down and kissed his lips softly.

"You have morning breath." He said when she moved away, without opening his eyes. She slapped his arm

"How long have you been awake?"

"Since you tickled me, it was kinda nice."

She pulled a face at him unsure whether to take that as a compliment.

"How did you sleep?"

"Good, I had nice dreams."

"Glad to hear it."

She pushed back the cover and climbed out of bed. She walked towards the mirror playing with her hair, which was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it from getting too messed up.

Tommy leaned his head on his hand and admired her legs as she walked around the room. She walked to the sink and brushed her teeth.

"You're a very attractive lady." He said lying back on the pillow and sighing comfortably.

"Thank you, that's the first time you've complimented me."

"I guess I'm a nice guy after a good sleep."

"Yeah well don't get used to it, I don't do this for everyone you know."

"Yeah you do it for me." He laughed, enjoying how comfortable he was around her.

She replaced the toothbrush and got back into bed.

"Does this make me your girlfriend?" She asked playfully puzzled

"No this makes you a six-foot teddy bear." His eyes were still shut. She hit him with a pillow. He grabbed her arms and pulled her on top of him. She smiled as they looked into each others eyes.

"Good morning." He smiled

"Good morning." She replied, closing her eyes and leaning in for another kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

Tommy walked confidently through the blue corridors. The lights being on the floor always confused him, but as time had gone on he hadn't noticed them as much. The double doors at the end of the corridor slid open. Everyone was already inside. There were only fifty people who worked here. Only twenty were in the room. These wee the operatives the remainder were cleaners and cooks, generally took care of the maintenance of the building.

The phone call had come as he was walking Susie to her lecture; he gave her his number and dashed away. He wished there was another way for it to end, but the job always came first. He wondered if she would call him as he walked through the doors.

The meeting hadn't started yet. The others in the room were standing around talking. It had been a while since they had all been together in the same room. There were often multiple operations going on at the same time so meeting like this always seemed like a school room. People always seemed to want to have a say in what was happening.

Tommy headed straight to where Stan was standing talking to a small group of people. He tapped him on the shoulder.

"What? You couldn't give me a lift?" Stan and the others laughed

"You're a big boy now Tommy, I was sure you could manage."

"How are you doing Alice?" Tommy hadn't been listening to Stan. Alice was twenty two. She had worked for the company since she was sixteen. It was either that or go to prison. She was an excellent hacker, she had worked regularly with Stan and Tommy in the last few years, and they were quite close friends.

She smiled and hugged him.

"It's nice to see you again Tommy."

Tommy loved the way she smelled, it was unlike anything he had ever known before. Her red hair reached past her shoulders. Her green eyes shone like emeralds, he could look at them for hours. She was in blue jeans and a short white shirt that showed off her stomach. Tommy looked at her stomach, knowing she was watching him.

"Looks like you got to go somewhere sunny." He joked

"Looks like you've been working hard." She joked back holding his hand up, showing him the tan on his hand. Stan laughed and moved over to where the chairs were se up. Everyone seemed to have the same thought and sat down.

"What do you think this is about?" Tommy asked sitting between Alice and Stan.

"Depends how many missions there are this time."

"There can't be as many as last time surely? Eight is too many for us, there aren't enough people."

"I don't know, you two managed didn't you? That was a huge result, if the amount they were reporting they confiscated was right." Tommy accepted the compliment with a smile.

"What was your mission?" He had been working when she had been sent away to Italy.

"Just an assassination, easy really."

Opinions were torn within the organisation, information gathering mission like Stan and Tommy had just undertaken gave the biggest results. Assassinations were sometimes thought of as more fun. More exciting almost, Tommy preferred these missions. He liked a bit of action in his life. Stan thought he was getting too old for that sort of thing. Alice didn't mind either; she was mostly information gathering anyway so most missions were the same to her.

The commander walked into the room, there was silence. He stood in front of the group his face was serious as always. He stood with a series of brown envelopes in his hands. Resting them on the podium that stood in front of his he corrected his glasses and looked up around the room. He smiled.

"It's nice to see you all made it back." There was a ripple of laughter throughout the room. "You will all no doubt be happy to know that there aren't as many operations to be put into action this time, you will all be called when something comes up that requires your individual talents." There was an audible sigh of relief from the group as they realised that they would mostly be getting time off. "However there are three missions that will require a few of you." He looked down at the stack of envelopes in front of him. "David, Lucas, Candy, Layla and John here is your next mission." He held up one of the brown envelopes and handed it to the member of the group who came up to collect it. The five of them left the room immediately, they didn't even look back. The attention of the group stayed on the commander, this was routine, the missions were always more important than the people in the company, something that had been drummed into them from the start.

"Amanda I have a small mission for you." He handed her the envelope. "It shouldn't take long." He smiled as she left. "Now I would like to see Alice and Thomas in my office. The rest of you are free for now. As always, keep your phones near you, and be ready to come when you're needed."

The group dispersed, Stan caught Tommy's eye on the way out, and he winked as he walked out of the door. Tommy and Alice followed the commander into his office.

He was an unremarkable man, despite being arguably the most powerful man in the world. He wore a perfectly fitted grey suit and black shoes. He was easily six foot three inches tall. His grey hair sat perfectly combed on his head. He cleaned his glasses as he sat down behind his desk and invited them to sit in the chairs on the other side.

"I'm sorry for the formality of this meeting." He started placing the glasses back on his face. "But your mission came in just before the meeting so I didn't have time to get it typed up." His secretary came in with a tray, containing tea for the three of them. Tommy refused politely, Alice and the commander smiled as they accepted the drinks. They waited until she had left the room before they started talking again.

"I need you in France by tomorrow. Your plane tickets are already sorted out, you leave in two hours. Your luggage will be waiting in the car outside which will take you to the airport. You are posing as a young couple on a romantic break to Paris. In Paris on Wednesday there is a meeting scheduled between two arms dealers. That gives you four days to familiarise yourselves with the location, one day to complete your mission and clean up and three days to enjoy before you come back." He smiled as he took a sip of his tea. "You think you can manage that?" He asked cheekily. Tommy laughed, Alice sipped her tea.

"You are to assassinate one of the dealers, this man." He slid a picture of him across the table. "There are more pictures and information in these packages." He passed an envelope to each of them. "Good luck." With that the meeting was over. Tommy and Alice stood up.

"Thank you sir." They said together. They turned and left.

They headed out to the front of the building where the car was waiting

"Silver Vauxhall Vectra." Tommy remarked. "Better than last time." Alice smiled and joined him on the back seat. They could see two cases in the boot of the car and they each had a backpack. They looked inside. They each had a laptop and a book. They pushed the envelopes inside and sat back.

"To the airport driver." Alice said clicking her fingers. The driver grunted as the car pulled away.

"Can I get you a drink at all?" The stewardess asked in a cheerful voice smiling broadly at the couple, her French accent hidden well but not completely from years of practice.

"No, thank you." They answered together, smiling at each other, their eyes meeting in a deep gaze, they kissed softly, her hand found his and they rested together comfortably. The stewardess moved on to the next row of seats, rolling her eyes at the display of affection. She wasn't against people being openly happy, but spending most of her life travelling on flights backwards and forwards to Paris she quite regularly saw such things from couples on their way to and from a 'romantic weekend'. 'Stupid to think things like that are what bring happiness to a relationship.' She thought, fed up, outside she was smiling, automatically offering and pouring coffee for anyone who would accept it. She hoped her transfer would me through soon, that way she could get back into the office she had been so keen to get out of only eighteen months ago. She tutted to herself as she reminisced on the feeling that she would fly all over the world and perhaps meet a man who suited her. Instead she had known an unglamorous life of delays, boredom, fatigue and jet-lag. Her feet ached as she made her way to the back of the plane where she could finally sit down.

The pilot announced his intention to land 'Oh thank God." She thought rubbing her feet as she sat down. 'Now a whole six hours off before the next flight.' The sarcasm she heard in her own head surprising her.

A small girl sitting across from Alice moaned when the landing was announced.

"What's wrong honey?" she asked kindly, smiling at the girl

"I don't like landings." She said hopelessly.

"It's her first flight." Her mother added protectively. Alice smiled

"You know what?" she asked, leaning closer to the girl "so is he." She pointed over her shoulder to where Tommy was sitting; his head leaned against the window. He tapped his hand on his leg in time with the music playing through his earphones.

"He is?" the girl asked, looking past her in almost disbelief "but he's so big."

Alice winked and smiled at the girl's mother, who stifled a laugh with her hand.

"Yeah, but it's alright to be scared sometimes, isn't it?" Alice asked, her voice was quieter, as if what she was saying was a secret, the girl leaned in closer.

"Sometimes." She nodded and smiled.

"I'll tell you what." Alice said, turning away from her slightly and rummaging in her bag "let's play a game."

"What kind of game?"

Alice took her notepad out of her bag, she grabbed a pen and drew a small grid made up of small dots, the girl tried to look over the top of the pad to see what she was drawing.

"What's your name?" Alice asked laughing at the face the girl pulled, determined to see what she was missing.

"Anne-Marie." The girl answered happily, she giggled slightly because she had made a friend.

"Nice to meet you Anne-Marie, you're very pretty."

"Than you" she said blushing "What's your name?"

"My name is Alice."

"I like your name."

"Thank you."

Alice turned the pad around so Anne-Marie could see what she had been doing.

"What you have to do is take this pen." She handed the pen to Anne-Marie "and you draw a straight line between two of these dots, you take turns to draw a line and you try to make a box. The person with the most boxes at the en is the winner.

Anne-Marie played happily, assisted by her mother who showed her where to draw her lines. Alice let her win. The pilot's voice came back over the announcement system

"Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Paris, France. The local time is 2:47 in the afternoon and the outside air temperature is 19 degrees. Please enjoy your stay and thank you for choosing our airline. We hope you will fly with us again in the future. Please remain seated until I turn off the fasten seatbelt signs." As his announcement ended most of the passengers stood up and began pulling their bags out of the over-head containers.

Alice smiled at Anne-Marie."

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Anne-Marie looked out of the window and smiled back at Alice, surprised that they were on the ground already.

"No, that wasn't scary at all…was he scared?" she asked pointing at Tommy.

Alice turned and smiled at Tommy. He nodded and smiled at the girl

"A little bit." He said simply, just catching the end of their conversation as he removed his earphones to listen to the pilot.

"Why? I wasn't scared." Anne-Marie said proudly.

Alice turned and stuck her tongue out at Tommy

"I guess I'm not as brave as you." He answered making a face at Alice.

The other passengers got up from their seats as the plane pulled up to the gate.

"It was nice meeting you Anne-Marie" Alice said to her and her mother, allowing them to stand ahead of her in the line.

"Thank you." Her mother mouthed to Alice, encouraging her daughter to wave back at them.

Tommy stood behind Alice and put his arms around her waist as they waited to get off the plane.

"Well done." He whispered in her ear as he kissed her cheek. She giggled quietly as the line began to move towards the terminal


	7. Chapter 7

"You're back already?" The director paced through the main office area of the office. He looked the same as he had the previous day. As people who worked for him knew, he never dressed or looked any different. He always wore the same kinds of suits in the same colour. He was always clean shaven and his hair looked as though it couldn't be moved. No one had even seen it moved by the wind. This was hardly surprising as he lived in the underground building. His office was only the beginning of his quarters, behind it through a hidden door was a large apartment, living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. Though he designed it himself he had begun to wonder who the other bedroom was for, as he was the only one who had set foot inside the apartment since its completion.

Stan stood looking up at a huge wall of monitors, the Company had unlimited access to any surveillance camera in the world and could access all images recorded on each camera for their investigations, though they could view any camera they liked, no one checked up on them, investigations were not a necessity. Since it was impossible to employ enough people to view all of the security footage they had access to this system was used mostly for watching images of previous movements, this way they could find the last movements of victims, suspects, deliveries, car movements, anything that they could think of. The few people that they had monitoring the cameras were usually responsible for checking movements in and around the areas where the company's employees lived or were operating. This way they could stop a potential threat before it happened or at least give the operatives some warning. Stan was of the opinion that it was a useless ability; it only gave them more ways to get confused. Lately however this technology had helped in his cases.

Stan smiled as he took a sip of his coffee; he made a face as the scalding liquid slid down his throat. He had made it too strong this morning.

"Can't keep away from this place." He answered the director with a smile

"Addictive isn't it?" The director stood beside him, looking up at the screens, his hands held comfortably behind his back. Two agents working at a nearby desk stopped what they were doing and looked over at the pair. For all the director was the most powerful man, possibly, in the world it amused most of the people who worked for him to see him stand next to Stan who was massive in comparison. Despite the difference in size the two were relatively close friends. Stan was the only person, close to a friend, that the director had, and even he had never been any further than his office.

"Look at this." Stan pointed to the screen wall with his coffee cup still in hand. "Jack, put up the city video from three yesterday afternoon.." He wasn't sure if Jack was actually the man's name, but it was too early to care. The director glanced at Stan, puzzled by the vagueness of his request. Apparently it was something he had already seen almost instantly they were shown a collection of images from every camera in the city where Stan and Tommy lived. Stan's eyes stayed firmly focused on the screens, searching for the ones he had been looking at, he was unaware of the look he had just received from his boss.

"Camera 501 please." Stan said taking another sip of coffee. "Ok run it at double speed." He said as the smaller images disappeared leaving them with a picture of a crowded main shopping street that filled the entire wall. It was as if they were standing in the street itself watching all of these people run by. "Ok, play it normally from now." They both stared intently at the giant picture. Stan was searching for the faces he had seen earlier. The director searched every face looking for one that looked familiar. "There are two things I want you to see in here sir," Stan began, still not taking his eyes off the screen. "Freeze it." He spoke suddenly, breaking off his conversation with the director almost instantly. He walked closer to the screen, to Jack's desk, he pointed at the screen and said something in the man's ear, the director couldn't make out what it is.

"The first thing that I want you to see is this man." A yellow ring appeared around a man's face. "Recognise him?" A smile came across the Director's face.

"James Catterick. Extortion, kidnapping and murder. I wonder what he's doing back in this country."

"Well maybe we should send someone to find out." Stan said, an air of triumph surrounding him.

"We also need to find out how he got back here from Japan without us finding out." The director's face was grave now. "I'll make the arrangements, now what else did you want to show me?"

A red circle appeared around another face in the crowd. "I know she isn't a criminal sir, but it still gives us cause for concern." The director nodded silently, stroking his chin.

"Do we know how long she's been back?" he said finally

"No sir we haven't looked into it. She arrived on the train shortly before this image was taken; I believe she lives close by but not in the city itself. Still she could cause a problem."

"I think we should discuss this in my office." The director said with a tone that surprised Jack, it was more severe than he felt was necessary. Stan just nodded it was almost as though he hadn't noticed the change in mood in the room. "Knock on the door in five minutes.

The director went into his office and closed the door; he immediately picked up the phone and arranged for one of the off duty agents to be assigned to gathering information on James Cattrick. He smiled slightly as his eyes flicked to the clock that was ticking gently on the wall, it read 4:27.

A knock at the door told him that his time was up.

"Come in." He called, settling himself into his black leather chair. Stan entered quietly, there was something about the clinical nature of the office that made Stan feel the need for almost silence. He silently hoped hat the apartment was warmer than this place. He hated meetings in this place.

The office itself was peculiar, hinting at the Director's strange sense of humour, which was experienced by few. The walls were a plain blue; it gave Stan a headache to look at them for two long. The light grey desk didn't help the feel of the room either. The floor matched the walls, a solid blue tile, always cold to the touch. Around the centre and the bottom of the walls was a white band. Stan cursed to himself every time he walked in.

He sat down in a cheap looking plastic chair. He always found it ironic that they could afford any technology that was available and yet in this office, people still had to sit on something this cheap. It was a ploy used by the director to increase the feeling of superiority. It worked.

The director rocked side to side comfortably in his chair. "Why don't you explain your concern at the appearance of this woman? I assume that it's connected to Tommy. I seem to recall he had a brief association with her. Am I right?" His fingers rested in a point on his lower lip as he waited for a reply

"Her name is Sharon Ingram. She is the daughter of Harry and Amanda Ingram; she has a sister who is a year younger than she is, Emma."

The director didn't let his impatience show; he sat stony faced as he listened to Stan talk about the girl's background and her family, all he was concerned about was hearing the details about why she was a threat. He knew that if he needed to he could ask Stan or Tommy to fill him in on any details about her that he needed to.

Stan paused as he gathered his thoughts, so far he had recited a list of details that e thought were relevant and could help in investigation. He didn't expect to have to investigate the woman, but he thought that the details may help the directors understanding of the situation that she and Tommy were in at the time.

"And that brings me to Tommy." Stan finished after a slight break in speech and a sigh. He saw the directors eyebrows twitch impatiently; he wanted him to get to the point.

"She and Tommy were…intimate for about six months. He was rather taken with her, for want of a better expression. However it seemed that she didn't feel the same way about him."

The director took his hands away from his face, he had been resting his chin on his hands as he leaned forward slightly on the desk. "Carry on." His lack of emotion never stopped surprising Stan. Despite the lack of feeling in the man's voice Stan believed that every one of the people he had working for him meant a lot to the director, they were the only thing that he had that could resemble a family. Stan wondered for a second how lonely it must be to live the way the director did, his thoughts began to wander to his own life, it wasn't much different apart from his connection to Tommy. He was snapped back into the room, as the director slapped his hand down on the table. "Sorry to disturb you." He said sarcastically, although his voice hid the friendliness in the comment.

"She cheated on him, went off with another man." Stan finished quickly, trying to collect his thoughts and send any comparisons between his life and the director's as far into the back of his mind as he could.

"So you think that she may be a distraction for Tommy?" The director said coolly summing up Stan's view on his woman.

"I think it's possible. She is the cause of the only situation that you have had to discipline Tommy for." Stan noticed the change in the director's expression as he recalled having to deal with the hot-headed youth. To his surprise he saw a smile cross his boss's face.

"Ah yes, I assume you mean the 'karate incident'."

"Yes sir." Stan tried to keep a serious face but found the director's sudden cheeriness to be catching and couldn't stop himself from smiling. "He found out that this woman's … other man was a student of a local karate club and entered himself into the national competition, where he successfully took out a lot of his aggression on the other competitors."

"I seem to recall that none of the other coaches thought to check his credentials."

"No they all assumed he was with another club." The two began to chuckle gently. The situation had seemed serious at the time, Tommy having shown his combat training, to a certain extent, now though, as with most things, they were able to see the funny side in the things that happened. Particularly the shock on the coaches faces as this unknown easily beat their 'best competitors'.

The room went silent as they each brought their thoughts to a conclusion, both smiling broadly, both quietly proud of Tommy, both glad that nothing more serious happened than him embarrassing the other man involved.

"There is one very important thing that you have to remember Stan." The director said, regaining his serious exterior and icy manner of speech. "If he managed to keep his temper through that, it is very likely that he will find a peaceful way of resolving this situation, if indeed a situation does arise."

Stan thought about it for a second, knowing only full well what Tommy was capable of, he knew a situation would occur, but he also knew that Tommy was too intelligent to show so much emotion to the girl again. He found himself growing curious to see what would happen. He nodded back to the director agreeing totally with him. He excused himself and left the office, suddenly needing another cup of coffee.


	8. Chapter 8

Tommy threw the bags down into the double bed as he stepped into the room. Alice closed the door behind him and they began checking around the room for any surveillance equipment. They both knew how unlikely it was that there would be anyone monitoring them but they were trained not to take any chances. When they were fairly satisfied they went to work unpacking. Alice removed the details of their mission from her bag as Tommy fished around for a bottle of water. The room was simple, the double bed pushed against the right hand wall was made up with bright white sheets and pillows with an orange cover laid over the bottom half of the bed. There was a cabinet on the wall opposite that concealed the television set. Next to that was a small set of drawers and cups and various articles for making tea.

He moved over to the window on the far wall that took up almost the entire wall. The view was superb showing most of the skyline of Paris. His eyes scanned over the horizon. It wasn't the first time he had been here. He had seen all of these sights before.

Alice sat on the bed with the baggage around her. She was reading through the report that she had been given before leaving. She knew from experience that Tommy wouldn't read his and would rely on her to relay the details to him. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. She was always surprised at the little details that he managed to pick out. He could find the beauty in even the simplest things, she could never see past the obvious in front of her. She couldn't pick out exactly what it was that attracted her to him, she knew what he was capable of, they all were, she had also seen how detached he could be from the world and everyone in it. It was the vulnerable side that she loved. The other men that she worked with and had met in the real world all had a self centred air about them and they tried to hide it. Tommy was the opposite. It seemed to her that he was sweet and vulnerable but tried to hide it so he could fit in. She hadn't yet managed to figure out why he wanted so much to fit into a world that he seemed to hate.

She heard a small sigh come from him as she finished her paragraph.

"So what's the job?" Tommy asked. He turned towards her from the window, rubbing his eyes.

Alice began to explain what was written in the text and all the details that she had been given. Tommy rolled his eyes. Alice looked back at him and pursed her lips in fake annoyance. She held up a picture of the target so he could see it.

"Kill him." She said simply, pointing abruptly at the picture. Tommy smiled. He had a habit of turning his head away when he smiled almost as though he was trying to hide his face. His shyness was something that increased her interest in him.

"I'll let you fill me in the when and why when you've finished reading." He added fishing a jacket out of the bag.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked surprised and slightly annoyed that he would leave her so quickly.

"I have a surprise for you." He smiled again. "You'll just have to be patient." He started heading towards the door. "I'll let you unpack if you get bored." He dodged the pillow and slid out of the door. "Oh." He poked his head back into the room. "Dress nice tonight." He smiled again and let the door close behind him.

Tommy left the front desk after talking to the man behind the desk. He unravelled the headphones for his iPod as he walked through the revolving doors. The music helped him to relax. He didn't like it here. He thought the people were unfriendly. He hated that in people. This was the kind of place where people bump into each other and say 'pardon' without even making eye contact. He used the music in his ears to detach himself from what was going on around him. He hated seeing how little attention even how little affection there was between people. It made him question why he was trying to keep these people safe.

He knew that Alice would expect him to have to ask her for the details of the mission when he got back. He didn't tell her that he had already read the briefing before they left the office. He realised that she probably like telling him what to do.

The streets were crowded as had to be expected in the middle of the day. The cafés on either side of the street were packed with people, both inside and out. Talking loudly, ignoring those on other tables and smoking. Tommy laughed at himself at the idea of grabbing and shaking someone when he was annoyed, he could never figure out why he found these kinds of random thoughts funny, or indeed how they came into his head, but they kept him amused.

He found the restaurant where the meeting between arms dealers was to take place without much difficulty. It was simpler than he had imagined, it was more of a bar than a restaurant. Tables were spaced around the perimeter of the building over two floors. The middle was left free for people to move in and out of. He also realised that it was a dance floor for the evenings. He walked over to the bar and ordered a Corona. He didn't have much of an appreciation for French beer. His French was almost fluent and he managed to book a table for later in the evening without any trouble at all. Within a couple of minutes he had been able to find out what there was in the surrounding area. He played the part of a tourist, interested in the restaurants and night life of the area. Although he managed to seem interested and enthusiastic he was bored. The beer was good but there weren't many people in the bar and in contrast to the streets outside the place was almost silent. He knew what was around this part of the city but he thought that making himself seem like a tourist would make him blend in a bit more. He knew that it was risky as it would mean that he would be able to be identified easier. But that was why he found so much fun in his job, besides he knew that he would be seen to be in another place when his mission was completed and wasn't in any danger.

He double checked his dinner reservation and placed the empty beer bottle on the bar and left. He walked slowly back to the hotel. It had begun to rain. He enjoyed the sudden space that he had on the path now with people running for cover even though the rain was only light. He stopped at a small shop near the hotel for some wine.

Alice stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her body. She felt fresher now, even though she had only been on the plane for two hours she still felt dirty whenever she stepped off of one. She looked at herself in the mirror, pushing her hair back over her head and away from her face. She opened her mouth looking at her teeth in the mirror. One seemed slightly discoloured, she rubbed it with her finger, it didn't help much. She made a face at her reflection and smiled. There was still some child left in her. She opened the door and braced herself for the rush of cool air that enveloped her. The room seemed darker than when she left it. She put it down to the brightness of the tiles in the bathroom. She stepped out of the bathroom and began drying her hair with another towel. She stopped suddenly and gasped.

Tommy smiled at her from the other side of the room. He had just lit a couple of candles on the dressing table and he was holding two wine glasses in his left hand.

"Did I scare you?" he asked cheekily, noticing the shock in her eyes.

"I didn't hear you come back in." She replied, wrapping the other towel around her shoulders.

"I guessed that by your dress." He turned back to the dresser and poured out two glasses of wine.

Alice blushed slightly as she took the glass of white wine from him. "What's this for?" She motioned at the dimmed lights and the candles.

"We're playing a couple aren't we?" he said with a smile that was infectious. "I think being romantic is in the job description."

Alice smiled as she took a sip of wine. "Well then." She started, walking slowly towards him. "What else do you have planned my lover?" She stood inches away from him. And looked up at him, her lips closed in on his.

"Well if you want me to take you out you'll have to get changed, my girlfriend isn't going to be seen by other men in a dress like that." He stuck out his tongue.

She looked down admiring the towel from different angles "But it cost me a fortune. You don't like it?"

"I love it." He replied, this time it was him moving towards her, his hand slowly caressed her face and stroked slowly down her neck. All of the time he looked deep into her eyes as he stroked her skin. His hand moved over the back of her shoulders. His hand moved quickly and he pulled the towel to the floor. For a second she stood exposed before him. The gaze from his eyes was intoxicating; she didn't want to take her eyes off him. For a split second she hesitated. Then just as suddenly she broke from her trance and moved her free arm to cover herself. As she did so he grabbed her with his free hand and pushed his lips against hers. The ferocity and the passion of his kiss filled her and she felt herself pushing herself closer to him. He pulled away slowly and took the wine glass from her and placed it on the dresser. While his back was turned she crept to the bed and lay down. Propping herself up on her elbows she watched him turn around. He smiled and bit her lip as he looked all over her body. She stroked one leg against the other and held up her hand, inviting him onto the bed with her. He smiled at her and his hand moved slowly across his waist. He lifted his shirt slowly and raised it off over his head. He crossed the room and moved onto the bed. He crawled over the cover, over her body. Their lips met softly, he gently pressed his body weight down onto her as she pulled him closer.


	9. Chapter 9

Alice woke quietly from her sleep, she dreamily replayed the events of the previous night in her head as she moved into a more comfortable position, snuggling into the pillows and once again resting her eyes. She remembered almost every detail of what had happened, the way he had spoken softly to her in the restaurant so that no one but she heard his words. The way he had held her as they danced in the night club, the warmth of his body as he had slept in her arms. Most of all she thought about how peaceful his face had been as he slept, he had held her tightly all through the night as if he was afraid that she would escape him or that he would wake up and find that she was only a dream. She hadn't seen him as peaceful as that for a long time now.

She pulled the remainder of the blanket around her so that it wrapped her entire body. She hadn't expected him to be lying next to her as he was far to animated to lie still. She had never known him lie still with her after he had woken up, especially when he was on a mission.

She turned over to face out of the window. Beams of sunlight shone through the window creating small rainbows on the carpet. The clouds outside had an orange glow, the beauty of the city was one that is only seen through a lovers eyes as they're heart has been opened to the wonder inside the most mundane of objects, or that of a convict awaiting his sentence, knowing that this will be the last time he will see such heavenly beauty and wanting to remember every detail.

She saw Tommy kneeling in the early morning light on the balcony; he was silhouetted against the sunrise. She could see the small gun in his left hand; it was what he would use to complete his duty. She pulled the thin white sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her body and stepped out onto the balcony behind him.

"Why do you always want to be alone? Is the bed not comfortable?"

Tommy laughed; his eyes remained shut as he allowed the gentle heat from the sun and the cool whipping wind to intermingle around his skin.

"If you must know I'm scared to be happy."

"That's strangely honest for you." Alice said with a smile, sitting down on one of the two chairs at one end of the balcony, against the railing. The sheet rose up as she sat.

"I really don't understand why you want to be with me." Tommy couldn't help but allow the emotion he felt to seep into his voice; he silently cursed himself for doing so. "I'm nineteen years old; today I'm going to kill my forty-seventh person. Do you really think that this is the kind of man you want?"

Alice knelt in front of him, she stroked his face as she spoke, he opened his eyes to see her.

"I see another man, a man who is honest, loyal and genuinely loves me. I feel safe with you. I know you won't leave me."

He reached up with his right hand and held hers. She couldn't decide whether he had said all of that stuff just to get that response for her or whether he had genuinely been as upset as he seemed, that was her problem. She never seemed to be able to read him as well as he could her.

She moved and sat in his lap, resting her head on his chest, he held her close as they gazed over the skyline of the city, for the first time in years they really took in the magnificence of the view.

"Tommy." Alice spoke softly, this was a touchy subject, she hadn't dared bring it up before. "What happens if they find out about us?"

Tommy exhaled deeply collecting his thoughts and trying to keep a level head. "Well I guess it would be the same as if we got into too serious a relationship in the outside world. They'd take our lives."

"It's a big risk to take." Alice replied. Her grip around his shoulder got tighter.

"Maybe" Tommy shrugged. "But we've managed to keep it a secret for this long, why should they find out now?" Alice made a small noise in agreement. "Anyway, now you've completely ruined my relaxation, how about I take a shower?"

Tommy slid his arm under her legs and carried her back into the room. He gently laid her down on the bed and replaced his gun in his drawer. He pulled a towel off the rail just outside the bathroom. He looked back across at Alice as she lay on the bed; she smiled at him and waved. He laughed and walked into the bathroom.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the white tiles. He hated things like this, it was so impersonal. Maybe it was against convention but he would have much preferred coloured tiles, at least they felt more welcoming. He turned the dial in the shower cubicle and waited as the water heated up. He threw the towel over the top of the shower screen door. As he did so he felt Alice's soft hands stroking across his chest and down his stomach. She pressed herself closer to him so he could feel her nakedness against him. She slowly moved her hands down and took down his pants. He turned and smiled at her; he bent slightly and kissed her. He took her hand and pulled her into the shower with him.


	10. Chapter 10

Alice came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and drying her hair. Tommy sat shirtless on the bed in front of her. He was checking the ammunition in the gun in his hand. His look was stern and she knew that he was thinking through the job he had to do this afternoon. He looked up without seeing her. She couldn't help but think about the contrast in him between now and when he was sleeping next to her. She knew how hard things were for him, but it still upset her to see how hard it was for him to relax. They had worked together for a long time and she could sense how he was feeling better, she thought, than anyone else. Even when he was smiling and joking she could sense an undertone of sadness. She looked at him, admiring how focused he was. She crossed to where her suitcase was and pulled out a shirt and some jeans and continued to get ready. She looked around the bed for a second. Without looking Tommy held out his left hand and allowed her bra to dangle in front of her. She stuck out her tongue and snatched it away from him, she saw a cheeky grin cross his face and she couldn't help but smile back at him. H looked around and smiled at her. She pulled the towel tighter around her with a smile pretending she was shy in front of him. He laughed slightly then stopped, something seemed to click in his mind and he sprung off the bed to the other side where his suitcase lay. He rifled through until he found what he was looking for. Alice continued to dress. He stood up holding a different weapon.

"Changed the plan?" She asked seriously, the fun was gone from her voice as she knew how important this was. She let the towel drop to the floor and stood with her hands on her hips, in her underwear.

"Nice." Tommy smiled. Looking over her body and admiring the lingerie. She gave him a disgruntled look. It seemed to affect him. He blushed and once again became serious about what he was doing. He slipped the small needle like piece of equipment onto the aerial of his mobile phone until it was barely noticeable.

"I thought this would be more discreet." He said without taking his attention off what he was doing.

"Discreet?" Alice asked, puzzled, as she buttoned up her shirt. "How is that more discreet? You're going to attach an explosive to him."

"True" Tommy said with a grin. "But by the time I set it off we won't be anywhere near and there's less chance of us being suspected." His voice was flat as though he was bored of the conversation, or thought the explanation too obvious to be explaining. Alice shrugged and walked over to the mirror where she checked her hair.

"Ready to go?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, just let me put a shirt on and we can go. Where do you want to eat?" He said, pocketing the newly weaponised phone. Where should we go after? I fancy sightseeing."

"Sounds good honey." She replied. We might as well, we have to leave tomorrow." She laughed.

Tommy pulled on a T-shirt. Alice looked over her shoulder and stood up straight.

"So you're dressing smart today are you?"

Tommy wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Is that your phone I can feel?" She smiled at him.

"On that note…" Tommy started for the door, half pulling Alice with him. "Time for lunch."

The walk to the restaurant wasn't particularly exciting. The sun shone down on them and the city from a clear blue sky. Alice walked with her hand in Tommy's looking around at the buildings and the scenery and taking pictures of everything she thought was worth noticing. Tommy smiled and watched the excitement on her face, knowing that it wasn't real and that there was no film in the camera. This was one of the parts of his job that he enjoyed. He couldn't understand how easy it was to fool people. Although since the people around would only see them for a few seconds it was easy to give them the wrong impression. He found himself wondering how she managed to stay so enthusiastic after the amount of times she'd been here.

He looked over at her from time to time and saw the smile she carried on her face. He liked the way she was holding his hand so tightly. He liked that for once they could openly be a couple without having to worry about who was watching. He didn't want to have to go back tomorrow; it was like having to face stepping out of a dream. The thought of heading back to reality was hard to face. She looked back at him with a smile as she felt him squeeze her hand. For that second there was only the two of them. The people around disappeared, all the noise from the city was gone, what they had to do this afternoon disappeared from their minds, and in that instant they each knew what the other was thinking, and it made them sad.


End file.
